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“Do you know where my healer is?”
“In bed, sovereign.”
“In that case, I will return for the food in a moment. Have it readied.” I wraithwalked away before he could protest my decision to deliver the meal myself. By the time I returned fifteen minutes later, the kitchen staff had laid out a tray with two steaming bowls of soup, a mug of tea, and a basket of rolls.
“We thought you might wish to eat as well,” one of the kitchen underlings explained hastily when I approached the table.
“Thank you.” I flashed him a smile and placed a vial of healing elixir on the tray next to the mug. “Please extend my thanks to the chef.”
He bowed, and I wraithwalked back to Kate with the tray.
~~~~~
Kate
Whether it was because the cushions were so soft or because I had been worn to a frazzle, I fell asleep almost the instant Emrys disappeared. The next thing I knew, he was calling my name.
“Kate? I brought you food.”
Reluctantly lifting my head from the softness of the lounge, I blinked in the soft glow of fairy lights. “Hmm…” The scent of meat and vegetables filled my nose. “That smells good.”
“I fetched something less fancy than the banquet selection. My chef outdoes himself each night, but you looked like you need something heartier and less rich.”
My stomach growled.
Emrys’ mouth twitched. “It sounds as though your stomach approves of my choice.”
“I am hungry,” I admitted as I sat up.
After adjusting the pillows so I could sit propped up, he handed me a steaming bowl of soup. “Roll?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
Unfolding a napkin, he laid it across my lap and set a soft roll in the center. He handed me a spoon. Then, claiming his own bowl and spoon, he perched on the other end of the lounge and began to eat as well.
After a few moments of companionable silence, he said, “I spoke to my healer.”
“I won’t be examined.” I tensed, lowering my spoon to frown at him.
He nodded. “I don’t understand why, but I respect your choice. What I was going to say was that I described your symptoms to him. He gave me an elixir that should help in the short term.” He motioned toward the small vial sitting in the center of the tray. “It is up to you whether you choose to drink it, but—” He hesitated. “Your heartbeat is still not regular, and your feet are concerning.” He eyed them briefly where they peeked out from under my gown. “Do they hurt?”
I sneaked a look at my toes, pulling back my hem to better view them. Mottled purple and blue, they looked as though they had been bruised. “A bit of a tingle.” I shrugged. “I have been standing too much lately.”
I lifted my head to find him glowering at me. My chest constricted a bit as I realized I was sitting across from the king of the elves with my bare feet on display. My mother would’ve been horrified.
“Kate, I might not know very many humans, but even I know that isn’t normal.” The blue of his eyes darkened. “I promise I won’t pressure you to let my healer tend you, but I will ask you to take the elixir. No one will need to know that you took it. I won’t speak a word about it.”
“But you described my symptoms to the healer. He will know you gave it to me.”
Before I even finished my sentence, he was shaking his head. “I never mentioned a name, and I frequently request elixirs for Marilla. She is older than she appears or would like to admit.”
I eyed the vial on the tray. “What will it do?”
“It will temporarily steady your heart and improve your circulation.”
“Truly?” I met his gaze in surprise. “How?”
He shrugged. “I am a shadow elf. My healing powers are very limited. My healer is one of the best among our people, possibly our entire world. He doesn’t explain how he concocts his medicines, just how to take them and what they will do.”
